The elongated interlude

Glossed Over • No Love Lost Betwixt the Two

Two debutants who’ve been waiting in the wings preparing for take-off may have to wait a little longer now. Word on the street is that director Nikhil Advani’s remake of Hero, starring newbies Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty, has been shifted from its intended 3 July release date because of the ongoing CBI investigation of the death of actress Jiah Khan and the alleged involvement of Sooraj. The makers reportedly decided that their film didn’t need that kind of attention after the CBI reportedly revealed that it had procured ‘incriminating documents’ during a search at the Pancholi residence recently.

The movie has been indefinitely shifted from its original release date, and insiders are saying that producer Salman Khan (his production outfit has bankrolled the picture) has been advised to distance himself from the film— and particularly from Sooraj—for now. Nobody thinks it’s a good idea for Salman, who is himself currently at the centre of a controversial legal storm, to be seen endorsing, promoting, or aligning himself in any way with another actor facing his own set of legal troubles.

Without Salman’s endorsement and promotional push, the filmmakers are aware that Hero may well be just another film featuring star kids making their debut. Which is why they have apparently decided to wait it out a little and see which way the superstar’s legal case is headed, before taking any firm decision on the film’s release.

Interestingly, however, plans to release Salman’s own next film Bajrangi Bhaijaan are on in full swing. Jointly produced by the star himself and Eros International, the movie is being swiftly completed and likely rushed into release around Eid to cash in on the hysteria around the superstar—his pending trial at a higher court notwithstanding.

Glossed Over

The buzz doing the rounds in film circles is that Irrfan Khan isn’t terribly pleased with the way that his Jazbaa director Sanjay Gupta reportedly sidelined him in the first set of promotional material released for the new film. According to the grapevine, Irrfan was less than thrilled when he discovered he was nowhere to be found on the film’s poster that Gupta readied for unveiling at Cannes recently. The one-sheeter featured the film’s leading lady Aishwarya Rai Bachchan solo, and was released amidst considerable fanfare on the Croisette, where the actress makes her annual pilgrimage as ambassador of global cosmetics brand L’Oréal.

Gupta is believed to have responded to Irrfan’s disappointment with the explanation that it made sense to focus strictly on Ash for the Cannes promotions since the actress is a major draw at the festival, and since she was the only member of the cast who would be representing the film at Cannes. But our source reveals that Irrfan was not satisfied with Gupta’s reassurances; the actor was still clearly holding a grudge. Shortly after returning from Cannes, Gupta released a second poster of the film featuring a solo Irrfan, perhaps to assuage his own guilt or to pacify the still sulking actor.

No Love Lost Betwixt the Two

The absence of a senior star at a party thrown by his female co-actor to celebrate the success of their recent film together has raised eyebrows among industrywalas. It wasn’t just the veteran who didn’t show up, but nobody from his family made an appearance at the event, which some would say is surprising given that his actor son is on the credit roll as one of the producers of the said film.

A Bollywood insider explains that the senior actor and his family were not even invited to the party. The superstar’s son is believed to have confirmed this to friends who enquired why his family was conspicuous by its absence that night.

It appears that there might have been a falling-out between the female star and her senior co-actor, which may also explain why the veteran star did not participate in too many promotional activities for the film, and almost none with the film’s leading lady. Our source says the falling out was over ego issues.

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Rajeev Masand

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